Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter, South Somercotes

A parish church dating from around 1200, with significant phases of construction and alteration in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, restored in 1866 and 1896. Built in limestone, greenstone and ironstone coursed rubble with limestone ashlar and some red brick. The roofs are of slate and lead, with the slate featuring decorative red ridge tiles.

The church comprises a west tower with spire, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and chancel.

The west tower dates from the mid-14th century and features a moulded plinth and string course, with three-stage diagonal buttresses. A 15th-century doorway was inserted into the lower section of a 14th-century window above; it has a gently pointed head with a rectangular hood mould decorated with angel busts in the spandrels and head label stops, with a plank door. Above this sits a 14th-century pointed window containing three lights with Y-tracery design featuring a central cusped ogee head, hood mould and head label stops. The bell stage includes some early red brick patching, with pointed bell openings on all four sides, each containing two cusped ogee-headed lights and reticulated tracery. A moulded eaves course and coped parapet cap the tower. The recessed octagonal spine features four lower pairs of ogee-headed lucarnes including an ogee-headed doorway to the east, with two tiers of single-light lucarnes above.

A plinth and moulded string course runs around the north aisle. On the north side, a 15th-century window to the west has a triangular head with two pointed cusped lights, panel tracery and hood mould. An adjacent doorway to the east has a pointed head with a moulded surround and plank door with intersecting tracery. Two further 15th-century windows to the east both have triangular heads and three cusped pointed lights with panel tracery and hood mould.

The chancel contains a 15th-century round-headed window with three cusped lights and hood mould. A moulded string course stops below this window to the east, with a higher 13th-century string course resuming at a higher position. Below, to the east, lies a blocked 13th-century doorway with segmental head. A coped parapet caps the chancel. The east end is flanked by two-stage buttresses and contains a 15th-century round-headed window with three cusped lights and hood mould.

On the south side of the chancel, a pointed early 13th-century doorway to the east was blocked at an early date, with a semi-circular window featuring a cavetto-moulded mullion subsequently inserted. A blocked 15th-century doorway to the west has a four-centred head with a window above, restored in the 19th century to show a round head with three cusped lights, the central light with an ogee-shaped head. A string course to the west runs beneath a 15th-century round-headed window with three cusped lights and hood mould.

The south aisle features a plinth and moulded string course, with two 15th-century windows having triangular heads, three pointed cusped lights, panel tracery and hood mould. A gabled 16th-century south porch to the west shows red brick alternating with bands of greenstone. Its pointed south doorway has a double-chamfered head and jambs in one. Inside is a pointed 15th-century doorway with a moulded head and jambs in one, fitted with a plank door with intersecting tracery. At the west end of the aisle stands a 15th-century window with a triangular head, two pointed cusped lights, panel tracery and hood mould.

Interior

A tall 14th-century tower arch with a pointed double-chamfered head is supported on corbel heads, with a tall 19th-century wooden railing featuring pointed cusped tracery running across.

Five-bay early 13th-century arcades on both north and south sides contain round piers with octagonal abaci, keeled responds and double-chamfered pointed heads with human heads (some restored in the 19th century) in the spandrels. An early 13th-century chancel arch features keeled responds and a double-chamfered pointed head.

A 14th-century screen, restored in the 19th century, includes five upper late 14th-century openwork traceried panels with ogee-cusped heads with rosettes and panel tracery; the lower blind traceried panels are 19th-century work. An early 13th-century blocked south doorway in the chancel has a steeply pointed head with chamfered surround in one. A small aumbry to the east has a cusped head with an outline of a crocketed and finialled gable above.

An early 18th-century altar rail features slender turned supports with square knops and a moulded handrail with four round ball finials and central gates. The roofs date from the 19th and 20th centuries. The furnishings include 20th-century chairs and 19th-century choir stalls.

A pink marble monument of 1906 commemorates T. B. Freshney. Several fragments lie on the south-west window ledge of the nave, including a boss carved with a Tudor rose, a fragment of a door jamb, and several fragments bearing lettering and fleur-de-lys.

A 15th-century octagonal font displays symbols of the instruments of the Passion on its east face, with eight human heads below, a moulded band with flower head above, a pedestal with moulded ribs, and a square plinth.